I have been accepted to Ohio State and Penn (Wharton). OSU will cost me 15k a year, Wharton will cost me 60k. I don’t qualify for any need-based aid. I am unsure of my major (maybe math, compsci, physics, or business). I have to pay for college (parents will loan me but I have to pay them back), so 60k is EXTREMELY stifling. What should I do?
What field of business are you planning to enter?
If it’s finance/east coast business then Wharton is unparalleled, and I dare say that the connections and opportunities offered by Wharton will likely exceed the cost of attending (or such are the statements I have heard from several influential businessmen/businesswomen). If we’re speaking about general business (e.g. marketing, etc.) then it may be more of a toss-up. Wharton certainly has connections within that space as well, but it’s possible that such may not outweigh the cost of attendance.
So, we likely would be able to help you more if you were able to give us a preliminary idea of what you plan on concentrating in.
Econ and finance major? Wharton, and its not even close.
Any other major? Wharton, still.
I am more of a math guy than a business guy. I am planning on concentrating on Statistics or Actuarial Science at Wharton. However I am very open to switching to arts & sciences and majoring in math or physics at Penn (which is still very strong in those areas). It’s just that I don’t know if I want to carry around 150K debt leaving college. But Penn is my dream school.
Have you considered the OPIM major at Wharton? That is an excellent major for a strong math student.
@eric45 an elite degree is useful far beyond the most obvious applications. If I read your original post correctly, you would be paying you parents back over time; that’s definitely worth the upgrade of Penn over OSU, which is a third rate school (academically/prestige wise) at best.
Yes, I would be paying them back over time. Like I said, Penn is my dream school…even if I major in math. However, paying the full price for an Ivy school is a daunting task.
Also, I have not considered OPIM extensively. However it does look interesting and something I would definitely check out (if I go to Penn).
You might be able to double major in OPIM and math. At minimum you could easily add a math minor, which I think would be a good idea anyway.
You could also explore engineering areas like CS or the NETS program, if you like math. There is a lot of flexibility to take classes in any school and explore!
I go to OSU and I’m trying to transfer to Penn, so there’s your answer. All the Business majors here are frat idiots who party every day of the week.
I guess it’s too late to offer any advice. Are you from Ohio? That’d be pretty cool, as OSU and Upenn were also schools I applied to.
Hope to see you at Wharton next year 
I have thought long and hard over the decision, and I have chosen to be a Quaker.
UPenn class of '19 baby!
@Eric45 Congratulations! I think you will have a great experience!
Congrats! Great decision.
Excellent choice. I’ll probably see you in Huntsman Hall this fall, then.
I will be so happy to have you as a classmate! Congratulations!
@screenjunkie Ohio State is laughingly NOT a third rate school. While it is not academically comparable to Penn, OSU is ranked in the top quarter of major universities nationally. Btw, my daughter graduated cum laude a year ago in economics and has worked in finance for a year for a major international bank at a good salary. She would like to get an MBA eventually…perhaps from Wharton. My son is completing his junior year in high school and will likely be applying both to Penn and OSU. ~X(
Congrats on your decision! Regarding an actuarial career, it really doesn’t matter as much where you get your BA/BS degree, but might be a little helpful, since there are too many candidates and not as many entry level positions. If that’s what you decide to do, make sure to pass 2-4 (but no more) actuarial exams before your graduate. Also, be prepared for some alternative career in case you straggle with getting an actuarial position. Definitely make sure to have at least 1 (maybe 2) summer actuarial internships. Good luck!